Farm Safety Week 2018: 16-22 July "Innovative, Safe & Healthy"

Australia's farm sector has significantly improved its safety record, but there is always more work to be done, this is the message from Farmsafe Australia Chairman, Charles Armstrong.

Mr Armstrong said Farm Safety Week, 16-22 July, was an opportunity to reflect on how to better protect our farm community.

"For farmers, Farm Safety Week, is a chance to take stock, and consider our safety and welling and that of our family, farm workers and farm visitors.

"These are things we often take for granted, but when something goes wrong, there can be life-altering and all too often, life-ending, consequences."

The yearly average of lives lost from farm incidents has decreased from 146 in 1991 to 68 in 2017.

Nine of those 68 deaths in 2017 involved a child aged under 15 years. An additional 179 non-fatal, on-farm injuries were also recorded.

Mr Armstrong said in 2017, tractors and quad bikes were the leading causes of on-farm fatalities.

The theme of Farm Safety Week 2018: "Innovative, Safe & Healthy" will explore innovative ideas and practices to foster a 'safety culture' on Australian farms.

“In a time of technological transformation in workplaces, farming too is undergoing a period of exciting change as we move into an increasingly digitalised landscape," Mr Armstrong said.

"With this comes a remarkable opportunity for innovative solutions and ideas pertaining to farm safety.

“From digital safety inductions using QR codes, design improvements that make farm vehicles safer to operate, to personal locator beacons that send a safety alert in areas with no mobile reception, the possibilities are endless.

"Devices that automate safety alerts when something goes wrong, such as a quad bike rollover, can be the difference between help arriving on time, or too late," Mr Armstrong said.

“Farm Safety Week is about making sure that everyone involved in the farm gets home safe and sound at the end of every single working day," Mr Armstrong said.